bottled vs.tap: - Virginia Water Environment Association

Utility Management CommitteeBy Matt Stolte, Chair and Crystal McNeeley, Special TopicsThe mission of the Utility ManagementCommittee (UMC), a joint committeecomprised both of VWEA and VA awwamembers, is to facilitate the exchange ofinformation on pertinent and timely issuesthat affect the utility management industryacross the commonwealth. The UMC willstrive to meet this mission in the upcomingyear through professional networksand outreach sessions across the stateon topic areas that are pertinent to theindustry. Bruce Husslebee from HRSD (theoutgoing committee chair) has positionedthe committee with numerous outreachprograms and networking initiatives thathe has fostered over the past two years ofhis leadership. During Husslebee’s tenure,interest in the committee has continuedto grow and the committee currently hasclose to 50 members from all regionsof the commonwealth. Members of thecommittee appreciate the commitmentthat he has demonstrated with theUMC and know that he will continue torepresent the region as he moves ontoward national leadership opportunitiesas second vice chair of the NationalWEF Utility Management ConferenceCommittee.Spotlight on focus groupsDuring WaterJAM 2012 in Virginia Beach,the UMC held its annual meeting andappointed new leadership positions for theupcoming 2013-2014 term. Matt Stolte,Blacksburg town engineer, was appointedchair of the committee, and Ryan Nagel,Red Oak Consulting, VA Beach, wasappointed vice chair. Due to the size ofthe committee and the number of diversetopics of interest to the committee, eightfocus groups were created to handle topicspertinent to utility management issues.One active committee member was designatedas the focus group leader for eachgroup and charged with managing thatfocus group’s issues in the upcoming term.The list of focus groups and the correspondingfocus group leaders is as follows:(1) Asset Management– Aditya Ramamurthy, Red Oak Consulting(2) Financial Management– Bart Kreps, Raftelis Financial Consultants(3) Alternative Product Delivery– Bruce Husselbee, HRSD(4) Small Flows– Bruce Ringrose, Loundon Water(5) Effective Utility Management– Kishia Powell, RK&K(6) Workforce Issues– Kathi Mestayer, KMA Consulting(7) Management Practices– Bob Forgione, UOSA(8) Special Topics – Crystal McNeely, GHD.Spotlight on upcoming eventsThe committee is excited about creatingopportunities to engage the VWEA and VAawwa members in the upcoming year.Events under development include: a financialmanagement webinar, a pressure pipecondition assessment workshop, a managementseminar for disaster planning, and outreachprograms on sustainable workforceissues. Information on specific events will beprovided as it becomes available.Goal 2012The primary goal of the UMC is to getthe word out to utilities across the commonwealthabout the latest ideas on theimprovement of utility management. TheUMC is looking forward to another activeyear and we would appreciate your interestand support. Please contact Matt Stolte(mstolte@blacksburg.gov) or Ryan Nagel(ryan.nagel@arcadis-us.com) to becomepart of the upcoming excitement.46 The Conduit – Fall 2012